“Pilling a Cat”

Easier said than done. If given a choice between pill or liquid medication, I would suggest choosing the liquid. You can mix liquids with a can of food with a strong odor, milk, or ice cream, or simply dribble it in the side of mouth with a plastic dropper.  Many medications only come in pill form.  Therefore, herein lies the challenge! 

The way to pill a cat is:

Ø   Hold the pill in one hand and place the cat in your lap. If your cat is wiry, place him/her in a towel to prevent escaping. They do make restraint vests, bags and jackets for the very agile cat who is quick on the draw with their claws.

Ø   Use the palm of your hand and place on top of the cat’s head and gently tilt head back. As you do this, the lower jaw should drop. 

Ø   Look for the furrow in the tongue and drop pill down the furrow toward the back of the throat. Accuracy is important!!! Otherwise, if you miss or are off the cat will spit it out and you will end up wearing the pill. See diagram below for furrow and pill placement.

Ø   Gently close mouth and blow in the cat's nose. This should cause them to swallow the pill. Some like to stroke to cause the cat to swallow the pill. 

Ø      Hopefully the pill is down and you’re not wearing it.